Front-wheel equalizer for vehicles



D. B. GAYKEN FRONT-WHEEL EQUALIZER FOR VEHICLES March 13, 1951 Filed April 1949 2 Sheets-,Sheet l March 13, 1951 D. B. GAYKEN FRONT-WHEEL EQUALIZER FOR VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1949 I Fig@ @a Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UIN-l TED S TATJES ffFFil .CE

FRONT-WHEEL EQUALIZER7F0RWEHICLES Dick;B..-Gayken, Watelsloop-Iowa Application April4, 1949,:Seiial No.85;385

3 Claims.

, :The .principalfobject imy inventionris to provide a front vwheel connectionforvehicles such eas atriactors Vor :like vr-that substantially equalizes rthe @weight on the two `:front `wheels regardless @of V-the unevennessgof surfacezoverwhich-the -yexhiele :is ./moving,

iMore-,fspecicallm the object-:omy invention .-is .to E provideea-xweight equalizing .means between the i-vehicle :andtheiitwoifront:wheels lof `1the1lve ehicleeso-vthatf. revenifronegwheel Yis operating lim-:a horizontal-gmane:oftathe other-wheeLiboth wheels @will asubstantiallyfhavestheasarnefburden.

,.fAfurthereobject-of' this invention isto provide @a vehicle front z-wheelsgequalizer .that fisv ofsimple, strong construction :and ;not .rfsubjeot .-to fready wearorebreakage.

yA-lstillfurther-.object ffmyinvention islto prof'videaf-vehicleffrontwheels equalizer :that 4makes 4-Jfor easy manual fsteeringfo'f;the1vehic1e':over unl,ie-.venrslirfaces Afstill fiurtherobject of. rnyinventionzis to proividefan.- equalizer fof thefront wheels .ofz-a .vehicle :thatJtends-to ho1dthe-vehicle'infa astra-ight `course regardless of the -z condition of "the rterrain rover which thevehicle `is moving.

eA still `further object-:of this 4invention is to gpl-.Ovide `an 44equalizer .forr'the frontfiw'heels "of a l .-,tractoror like that is :economical iin .manufaclrture land durable infuse.

These .and other objects A`will he tapparentfto 'fthoseskilledinithezart My (invention: consists; in thezconstructiom varrr-angementfand combination ofithenvarious parts @ofi-the dev-ieemwhereby 'the :objects `icontemplate'd Afana-rfattained as hereinafterzmore 'fullyy Eset :forth, 4@mintedtout in` my: claimsfand illustrated in ,the :accompanying drawings, `in which:

,-eFig. 1. is -.a f-rontviewfof ymyfgdeviceinstalled-:and .in'use f Figfis agsidewviewegof; my device instaliedconfa `.ftraotor chut :with .fa portionaof :one =of 'the :"fron't wheels f k,cutsfa-way.,to ;more fully: 'illustrateits yiconsstnucton.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged right hand sideviewiof thexlevice :illustrating its operation.

Fig. 4 is a front end sectional View of the device taken online--d-idf-'Figf3- 5 .isa Afrontend .viewofrthe device. installed and showing the right front whee1. ,of the tractor in an elevateddposition.

Fig. 6 isaffrontendview `oi" the device installed amig-showing the left frontewheel of the 'tren'ftor inanfie`1evatedpositionrelativeitoethe other-front wheel. Y

The use of front wheels equalizers for tractors .22 hisizno't new. :'Howeverf-most such devices consist 4o'f1fgears,'gear'teeth-and'likewhich are not fonly 'difoult 'and fcostlyr'to vmanufacture ibut` are highly isubjectftohreakage. TFurthermore, as the'front 5 wheelseretusuallyin or near'the same horizontal zplane,v the-1wear Will'fbeiconne'd chiefly to only a 'ffewof the'fgear or l-ikemeshing teeth. Also meshfiingwteethiorflike are not good 1weif'ghtsupporting means. I have overcome suche-problems byffpro- 110 .vidingsanz-.equlizer that ihasino'fgearsf-or meshing iteethconstruotion.

Referring H'to :the fdraw-ings I `fiiaveffused fthe numeral I"I0 to -Sdesignate an ordinary :tractor f shown indotted lines) and fhavi-ng the' iusual two f-rearfwheelsfin and lf2. 'Tnenumereis Imeridia .designate "ithe Ltwo ordinary front `:wheels 'fof "a rtractor. "sIt isibetweenfthese'two' frontvwhels and 'thefrontiowerffendffof the' tractor'lthat I-=instal1 amy `"device and :which'flI will now-V `describe in 5de- '520 .tail. The .numeral "I5f designates" the'block base -mernberoflthe device, Tes'haped in cross-'section esfshownin Fig.'"f4. "Theitopofthisblockisrotatablyfsecured'tothe'front@underendf o'f thev tractor I-by any suitable means'v such 1 asfa vertical "stub '25 fshaftfl Aandlbearing- If'I, for'like. :By an-ysuch '-.construotionthetractor becomes steerable in the :usual manner. "Transverse of fthe "longitudinal axis ofithehlockr'and' extending acrossthe top of fthe:hlockfis'faislot'I8. The numeral-IS designates `La fs'haft 1in n*the'headfo'f the :"I'Shape'd"`fb10ck, 1 exftendingllongitudinally' thereof ,ieentrally located, and fextending :transversely-through :the -Aslot f I8, :asffshoWn-inFigf'S. The-numeral 20 'designates '-a fbar rmember rotatably mounted faround lfthe '35 '-shaft:|9iatfitsfeenterxfand capable/of rookingop- 2erationin"- the'fslot If8. The-'numeral 2 I y*designates eamhee "haftaXlehavingits frontend portion V-lfiingedfto't'lie lowerriglit 4frontsde df the block I5 by a stud bo1t22or"llike means. -lThis aide 40 Cshaft normallyextends directly to'therearfalong fthe ri'ghtl'owerisideOfthe block'and-then isbent ar'right fanglefoutwardiytotake'rand rotatably #supportithe'ironttraetorlwheel f3. -v|Thenumeral -23 Fdesignates-va wheelshaf-t faxlehavingiits l"front '45 end portion hinged to thelower`1e'ftfrontsideof mthv lilok I'finth'e'sainemanner'astheaiil'effshaft -2fI l:fils 'securei. "This facile shaft 23 'normally .vexitendsFdrectlyito'flthere ai aong thelleft lower `side vof"theTShapedi'block I5, andthenishbent out- 1wari'1fyrat :a righ-t .'angle to take fandflrotatah'ly supportlfthe-rontftractor wheel -Ii3 "The numeral T24 yfde'signettes 1a Werticalfrodislidably Amounted f in the head of the T-shaped block, havin'g'rits vupper end portion slidably extending into the right end portion of the slot I8 for engagement with the bear their respective load at all times.

under right end portion of the bar and its other end portion extending along the outer lower right side of the block to a position where it is pivoted to the center length portion of the axle shaft 2|. The numeral 25 designates a second vertical rod slidably mounted in the head of the T-shaped block, having its upper end portion slidably extending into the left end portion of the slot I8 for engagement with the under left end portion of the bar 20, and its other end portion extending along the outer lower left side of the block to a position where it is pivoted to the center length portion of the axle shaft 23. The method of pivotally connecting the two rods 24 and 25 to the two axle shafts 2| and 23 may be of any suitable means. In the drawings I show the lower ends of the two rods split to embrace the two axle shafts, respectively, and a pin 2B extending through the same. The upper end of each of the rods 2li and 25 may be enlarged, as shown in Fig. 4 to prevent them from dropping downwardly through their bearing means in the block. By this construction the front end weight of the tractor will rst be exerted on the block, thence V lthe shaft I9, thence to the bar 29, thence to the rods 2Q and 25, thence to the axle shafts 2l and 23, thence to the wheels I3 and I4, and thence to the ground surface 21. By the bar 20 being pivoted at its center the weight will be substantially equalized between the two wheels. This is true even though one wheel is elevated (due to the surface over which the tractor is moving) rrelative to the other front wheel, as shown in Fig.

in the opposite direction. This desirable pressure equalization regardless of the relative positions of the two front wheels promotes stability and control of the tractor. Both front wheels will As the tractor moves over uneven surfaces the two front wheels will move upwardly and downwardly in opposite movements to each other so that both r wheels will always be in contact with the earth surface, This is especially desirable when the two front tractor wheels are relatively small and close together, as'shown in Fig. 1. This vertical contra-reciprocation of the two wheels is accom- Some changes may be made in the construe` .tion and arrangement of my front wheels equalizerfor vehicles-without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

'1. In a device of the class described, a. base member T-shaped in cross-section, a transverse slot in the top of said base member, a bar pivoted at its center and capable of rocking actionwithin said slot, a vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end portion extending into said slot and below one end portion of said bar and its other end portion extending downwardly along the lower outer side portion of said base, a second vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end portion extending into said slot and below the other end portion of said bar, and its other end portion extending downwardly along the other lower outer side portion of said base, an axle shaft hinged to one side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the vertical rod on that side of the base, and a second axle shaft hinged to the other side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the vertical rod on that side of the said base member.

2. In a device of the class described, a base member T-shaped in cross-section, a transverse slot in the top of said base member, a bar pivoted at its center and capable of rocking action within said slot, a vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end portion extending into `said slot and below one end portion of said bar and its other end portion extending downwardly -along the lower outer side portion of said base,

a second vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end portion extending into said slot and below the other end portion of said bar, and its other end portion extending downwardly along the other lower outer side portion of said base, an axle shaft hinged to one side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the vertical rod on that side of the base, a second axle'shaft hinged to the other side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the `vertical rod on that side of the said base member, and a means for limiting the downward sliding movement of each of said two vertical rods.

3. In a device of the class described, a base member T-shaped in cross-section, a bar pivoted -at its center to the upper portion of said base member, a vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end below one end portion of said bar and its other end portion extending downwardly along the lower outer side portion of said base, a second vertical rod slidably mounted in said base having its upper end below the other end portion of said bar and its other end portion extending downwardly along the lower outer side portion of .said base, an axle shaft hingedto one side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the vertical rod on that'side of the base, and a second axle shaft hinged to the other side of said base member and pivotally connected to the lower end portion of the vertical rod on that side of the said base member.

DICK B. GAYKEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v 1,890,975 Erdahl Dec. 13; 1932 2,217,818 Ronning Oct. 15, 1940 

